A copy of the hastily-drafted “state of emergency” law, leaked Tuesday evening, looks to give the Cambodian government sweeping powers during an emergency, enabling the administration to curtail a large number of civil rights with seemingly no serious checks and balances.
The draft legislation, titled ‘Law on National Administration in the State of Emergency’, was leaked Tuesday evening and verified by a Justice Ministry official. The law, according to Prime Minister Hun Sen, was necessitated by the current coronavirus pandemic and has already been approved by the Council of Ministers, and is expected to head to parliament soon.
Based on Article 22 of the Constitution, the draft law requires the King to declare the state of emergency, after reaching consensus with the Prime Minister and Presidents of the Senate and National Assembly.